Sunshine and Lollipops
by AMiserableLove
Summary: She's dressed in a pretty yellow dress and her actions with a piece of candy almost send him over the edge as he contemplates his feelings for her. Update: Now a series of one-shots in which Jess and Nick tease each other in some very frustrating ways.
1. Sunshine and Lollipops

**Just a quick one-shot. I've had a thing with food lately I guess...**

**Please read and REVIEW! :)  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own New Girl**

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She was wearing yellow.

That was the first thought, more of an observation really, that crossed Nick's mind as he slowly trudged into the kitchen rubbing his eyes in a tired sort of way. It had been a long night at the bar and he had fallen into bed sometime after four in the morning. And while his clock read only a little after ten and no one would blame him for catching a couple more hours of sleep, he found himself incapable of sleeping past late morning.

He hated staying in bed late on the weekends. Early on he had tried to tell himself it had nothing to do with a certain female roommate who had the weekends off. But he had given up lying to himself months ago so he just accepted it now.

He didn't like sleeping in when instead he could spend time with her.

As he mumbled a barely coherent greeting to his roommates who all stood at the kitchen island talking, he blindly reached his hand up and pulled down a mug from the kitchen shelf and poured himself a full cup of hot coffee. Closing his eyes and inhaling the scent he took a deep drink and savored the taste before focusing his attention on his roommates.

Or roommate. He really didn't pay Winston or Schmidt much notice.

Yes she was wearing yellow; a bright springtime yellow dress. It had a white and yellow polka dotted belt through the middle and she wore a matching white and yellow polka dotted headband in her dark hair that hung down her back in long and loose waves. She looked so bright and cheery. A beam of sunlight on the gray and gloomy Saturday morning. The contrast of her porcelain skin, dark hair, and blue eyes against the bright yellow color was absolutely striking. And he wondered, not for the first time, if she was aware of her looks or if she really was as clueless as her personality and actions suggested.

"Good morning Nicholas!" She gave him a wide smile. Her blue eyes crinkled a bit at the corners with the action.

He gave her a small nod and a smile back. He wasn't much for talking in the mornings. It was something she often ragged on him about in a good-natured sort of way. And he didn't mind it really; he usually threw in a dig here or there about her seemingly limitless energy. Lifting the mug to his lips again he paused for a moment, as her eyes lingered on him briefly. When realization crossed her face that she had been caught staring, instead of looking away quickly, her mouth tilted into a crooked smile and her eyes met his and twinkled with something he couldn't quite place. She held his eyes for a moment longer before she glanced down at the magazine in front of her, that half smile still firmly planted on her face.

He got a funny feeling in his gut at that lopsided grin and he shook his head. There had been looks exchanged between them as of late. Well really, there had always been looks, but before more often than not, one of them would quickly look away before the other had the chance to notice or comment on it.

She had changed the game recently.

She didn't look away as fast. And when he caught her staring, he noticed her eyes; and they were usually shining with a suggestion, a hint, of something he didn't want to say or think in fear that if he did it would go away and he would be left with nothing but crushing disappointment.

And while he didn't want to get his hopes up for fear that they would be quickly squashed when reality came and bit him in the ass in the form of a new boyfriend or hell even an old one showing up...he couldn't help but notice that things _were_ different lately.

Even if the self-loathing part of him wanted to cry foul and claim it was wishful thinking.

But was it?

She _did_ let her stare linger on him for longer than necessary, she _did _smile more easily for him, and she _did _seem to stop in the bar more often...even when Schmidt and Winston weren't around.

He shook his head again at his thoughts. Not wanting to let his mind wander down _that_ path so early in the morning.

"Well ladies." Schmidt gathered his things and looked pointedly at he and Winston, drawing out the word _ladies_. "Cecelia and I are going to a brunch this morning. Apparently Schmidt in the sack is not enough for that lady. She now feels the need to show me off in public." He gestured to his body, a brilliant grin on his face. "Can you blame her though?"

Winston groaned, and Nick rolled his eyes, and Jess combined the two actions along with a husky laugh.

He tried not to look over at her as the sound floated through the air. Her laugh made things inside of him stir. Not only physically, but emotionally. She was slowly wearing on him. Slowly nestling herself in his heart and he was absolutely terrified of what was happening to him and his ever developing feelings for her, knowing it was far beyond his control. Instead he attempted to at least shut those thoughts out of his mind, hiding them for the time being, as he didn't trust himself to think them with her standing so close.

Winston yawned and gave a little stretch, before grabbing his set of keys from the counter behind him. "I've gotta get going too. I need to hit the gym. It's been ages since I've played any ball." He glanced over at Nick. "You wanna come?"

He turned the offer over in his head a moment. He knew some exercise would probably do him some good, but he had barely woken up, and there was a certain dark haired, blue eyed roommate in a pretty dress the color of sunshine that he wasn't willing to leave just yet.

He waved away Winston's offer. "No man I'm fine, maybe next time."

"Cool cool." Winston said nodding,and he followed Schmidt out the door.

When the door closed behind them, he looked up to see Jess staring at him...again. And once again she didn't look away, only widened her smile.

Uncomfortable, he smiled back.

"Do you want me to make you some breakfast?"

"Uhhh no I'm good."

"You sure? I can make you pancakes…with chocolate chips in them. Or does that freak you out because then they might look like blueberry pancakes and you're afraid of blueberries? I can make you regular pancakes instead. Or bacon and eggs...a little protein in the morning never hurt anyone."

He chuckled at her offer. Or rather_ offers_ and shook his head refusing them. Raising his cup of coffee he smirked. "No I'm fine. This is all I need."

"Nicholas, you really should eat a balanced diet."

"Says the girl with a lollipop sitting on the table next to her." He noted, pointing to the fire engine red sweet treat.

She glanced down at it, her eyes brightening while she considered the candy. "A student gave me a bag of candy yesterday and I'm trying to wait until noon to have this. I have this new rule, no candy, baked treats, or beverages with more than one teaspoon of sweetner until after twelve."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

She shook her head, scrunching her nose up at the question. "Not sure. In fact that sounds stupid doesn't it?"

He shrugged indifference.

"I think it sounds stupid. You know what...I'm going to have this bad boy right now."

She grinned as she opened the candy and he couldn't help smiling back at her. Sitting down on a stool across from where she stood, he picked up the newspaper that either Winston or Schmidt had tossed aside and scanned the morning's headlines.

"Oh God…soooo good."

He looked up, and his throat tightened at the sight of her lazily licking around the lollipop. Her tongue was savoring the taste and her eyes were half-mast, almost as if she was slowly drifting off into a sugar coma. Not bothering to lift her eyes to him she sighed.

"You want some?"

He cleared his throat unable to take his eyes off her as her tongue darted out again. "Um no…no I'm fine."

She smiled, it spread across her face slowly and there was something so completely feminine about it that little alarm bells began to go off in his head. Silence engulfed them for a few precious seconds before she opened her eyes fully and the smile slowly faded from her face as she pinned him with her blue gaze. There was it was again...a hint of _something_ in that gaze, he wanted to say seductiveness, but the thought almost made him laugh out loud.

"Suit yourself." She said simply, and went back to enjoying her treat.

Nick dragged his eyes away from her as she let out another contented little sigh and he mentally demanded himself to keep his eyes fixed on the newspaper in front of him. It was completely pathetic that his roommate innocently enjoying a damn piece of candy had him shifting uncomfortably in his seat as he tried his hardest not to let his body betray him the thoughts that were currently racing in his head.

Of Jess' tongue darting out on and savoring and licking something completely different.

And he scowled at the thought; quite certain it made him the biggest pervert on the planet.

When she breathed another soft sigh, he looked back at her, his heart pounding he took in the sight before him. He noticed the way the lollipop had stained her lips a deep red, how they glistened as she licked the candy carefully, sweeping her tongue around it, over it, under it. Realizing she was being watched, she brought her attention to him and rested her chin lazily in one hand on the island before leaning forward over it and eying him.

"Sure you don't want to share?" Her blue eyes were smoky, her voice slightly husky.

It took him a moment to find his own voice before he could answer. "Yes. I mean…no…I mean... I don't want the damn thing Jess."

She laughed softly at his broken sentence, and watching him she took the lollipop entirely into her mouth, never taking her eyes off him. And he couldn't break her gaze all he could do was simply stare as she held the candy there for a bit, twirling the stick and moving the lollipop around inside of her mouth, clearly using her tongue on it, before taking it out with a loud resounding pop.

Her lips glistening, cheeks flushed a soft pink, and her eyes twinkling a mischievous blue, she offered the candy to him once more.

"Are you sure?"

She was playing with him. She had to be playing with him. He wasn't in the mood for and he couldn't deal with her games this morning. He was too tired, his thoughts were too jumbled, and now thanks to her little display he was uncomfortably hard and he knew if he stood it would be almost impossible to hide. Staring at her extended hand with the wet lollipop, he let his gaze travel up her arm to her face before meeting her eyes.

She arched an eyebrow waiting for him to answer...or perhaps make a move.

Scowling and trying to push down the urge to reach over the island and pull her to him, he grabbed the red sucker and threw it behind her, not watching where it landed. Before she had a chance to respond, he turned away from her and headed to the bathroom.

He needed a cold shower.

As he slammed the bathroom door behind him, he didn't get to see the look of pure satisfaction that crossed her delicate features, before she let out a shaky breath and sat down on his abandoned stool. Looking towards the door, she shook her head and pressed cool hands to her now hot cheeks.

"Oh Nick, this is going to be fun."

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**I know I know I know.**

**How can I make this a one-shot! I totally left this wide open. And I did that on purpose. So, before you PM me or leave me angry reviews, please know that I'm not shutting the door on this one. **

**I promise. **

**It may be fun to write a bunch of different ways in which Jess decides to tease our favorite scruffy faced roommate, but I don't want it to read like a chapter story. Does that make sense? Just a bunch of one-shots, where Jess teases Nick...  
**

**Or even…vice versa.**

**Because two can play at this game right? ;)**

**I don't know I'm still playing with the idea of this one a bit, and I have an idea for a more serious NG fiction I'm trying to develop. So we'll see I guess.  
**

**P.S.- I know Jess may seem a bit out of character but she's been a difficult character to write lately as she's ever evolving on the show. Sometimes she confident, sometimes she's awkward, sometimes mature, sometimes quirky and child-like. So yeah...the idea came to me and I went with it hoping it didn't seem completely out there.**

**Please review! :)  
**


	2. Put Your Hands On Me

**Nick's turn...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own New Girl  
**

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Jess groaned quietly as she stretched her neck muscles and reached back to rub her shoulders gingerly. She ached. Her entire upper body ached. She was quite sure she had pulled something in her lower neck and shoulder region. And she was tired, so incredibly tired. It was late, or early, as midnight had come and gone hours ago…but she couldn't sleep because she was so sore.

"Stupid boxes." She muttered, removing the whistling kettle from the hot stove.

Opening the cupboard door she winced and her muscles screamed in protest as she reached up to grab her chamomile tea and honey from the high cupboard shelf.

"Stupid s_tupid_ boxes."

With the end of the school year quickly approaching, she had decided earlier that day to get a jump-start on cleaning her classroom. While she couldn't do much in the main area of the room, there was a nasty little storage closet in the back, that throughout the year she had thrown extra supplies in. From arts and crafts stuff, to snacks, cups, cleaning supplies and everything else in between…it had been over flowing with boxes and bags of junk. So she had stayed a couple of hours after work sorting through the stuff and tossing or donating the things she knew she definitely didn't need for school, or would expire before the next year.

And she had made a lot of progress.

The only problem was the closet was lined with shelves. And somehow throughout the year she had placed boxes- multiple boxes, on the top shelves and had continued to fill those boxes with miscellaneous items. And those boxes had gotten heavier and heavier, so today when she had attempted to drag them off those shelves she had gotten a nice little surprise at their sheer weight. Of course instead of attempting to empty the boxes while standing on her stepladder so that she could easily pull them down off the shelf, she had struggled and nearly killed herself with them. Which was why she was now in such unbearable pain.

It was kind of pathetic really. She was so out of shape, so awkward, and her muscles weren't used to labor of any kind, that merely moving around a few boxes had injured her.

She just wasn't a huge fan of exercise. Unless you counted spontaneous dancing. She loved to do that.

Frustrated she blew a breath out and poured the hot water into her favorite yellow mug, watching as the tea began to steep. Closing her eyes, she considered popping a few ibuprofens to help ease her discomfort.

When she heard the apartment door rattle with keys, she glanced over at the clock on the oven. Squinting at the bright neon green numbers.

3:09 a.m.

Nick was home.

She bit her lip as she heard the door swing open. Their relationship had been interesting lately. She had been having quite a bit of fun teasing him. She enjoyed watching the way those dark eyes tried to figure out her every move, her every word, as she clearly and deliberately played little games with him. Not that she was an expert in the tease or flirting department. Every time she let her eyes linger on him, every time she drew out a sentence that could possibly have a double meaning attached to it, her heart pounded and her pulse raced. She was sure he knew that she wasn't as confident or casual as she pretended to be.

He had to know.

In fact, he had caught on to her game quite quickly…and now she wasn't sure what to do.

Now he refused to be the first to look away from her. When she said something that could be taken as suggestive he would merely raise an eyebrow, and stare her down, daring her to follow through with her provocative implications. She felt like the tables had suddenly been turned on her. And if this was a game of cat and mouse she had definitely become the mouse.

As he entered the room she turned stiffly and greeted him with a small smile. He eyed her, a look of surprise playing across his features.

"You're up late." He stated shrugging out of his jacket he tossed it on the kitchen island. Walking past her he grabbed a glass from the kitchen cupboard and stepped over to the sink to fill it up.

"Couldn't sleep." She said softly, glancing down at her mug she took the tea bag out and added some honey to it before slowly turning her body around to face him.

She took in the sight of him in his dark button down and dark jeans. She had thought that this little crush she had developed on him would go away almost as quickly as it came. But she had been wrong. If anything her feelings for him had just gotten stronger. She was enjoying his company more and more. Whether they were just sitting quietly in the living room watching random television, or screaming at each other in anger and frustration over something stupid like whether or not there were good and decent people in the world…she just liked being with him. And her feelings were getting out of control; they were getting strong…scary strong.

She found herself getting lost in the dark depths of those chocolate eyes. She found herself fluffing her hair a bit more than usual when leaving her bedroom. She found herself stopping in at his bar more often than not, just to say hi, or to bring him a late dinner or a coffee from the little cafe he liked just down the street. She had reasoned with herself that most of these things, from the outside looking in, could merely just appear to be things that a good friend would do for another good friend. But she was afraid sooner or later she would be found out.

Maybe he had already discovered her secret.

Maybe he realized her teasing wasn't just teasing, but actual suggestions that she considered acting on and following through with on a daily basis. Her kind acts weren't those of a friend but those of someone considering, hoping, wishing for the possibility of more.

She had gotten herself in deep.

"Why can't you sleep?"

He snapped her out of her thoughts and she felt her face redden slightly, like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Don't be stupid, she told herself silently. Nick had no clue what was on her mind.

"Oh it's silly really…I hurt my neck…or my shoulders…basically this entire region." She indicated to her upper back and couldn't help the small whimper that escaped her lips with the motion.

He narrowed his eyes at her. Concern flitting across his features.

"How did you hurt yourself?" He asked peering closely at her and taking a step toward her.

She would have backed up had it not been for the kitchen island directly behind her. Instead she had to opt for tilting her chin up to him as he closed the small distance between them.

"Oh I had entered a weight lifting competition…I lost." She smirked up at him, feeling silly when he didn't crack a smile and only continued to study her. Unnerved by his silence she told him the truth. "I was lifting some boxes at work, trying to clean out my storage closet and I think I just pulled a muscle or something. Like I said it's silly." She shrugged but even that action caused her to cringe.

He sighed, his dark eyes still on her. "It hurts pretty bad?"

She nodded slowly, pulling her gaze away from his. "Yeah, nothing I can't handle though. I just thought maybe some herbal tea would help me to relax so I could eventually fall asleep."

He nodded; she wondered if he knew how his close proximity in the dark and silent apartment made her knees feel slightly weak and her heart pound uncomfortably hard against her chest.

"Have you taken anything for it?" He stepped closer to her, and her breath caught. There was barely any space left between them.

"Um I didn't want to pop any pills…don't want to turn into a junkie you know." She joked lamely.

He raised a brow but remained silent. When he reached out toward her, she flinched away involuntarily and he paused in his actions before picking up a stray lock of her hair. He played with it lightly while briefly considering her.

"What…what are you doing?" She stammered, her eyes flashing to his face.

He smiled, his dark eyes held a glint of amusement and something she wanted to place as desire, but dear God, she couldn't let her foolish mind think that.

Why had she been teasing him for the past few weeks? Why did she think she could get away with a game that was so clearly out of her league? Was he trying to pay her back with teasing of his own? With those longing looks and lingering touches?

"Maybe you have some kinks in there you need to get worked out."

It took a moment for his words to register in her brain. Her eyes shot to the ground as she tried to calm her breathing. Was he going to put his hands on her? Did he want to work out those kinks for her?

He smirked as if reading her mind and tugged gently on her hair, drawing her gaze back to his. "Have you tried to have anyone massage the pain away Jess?"

Oh man, she was in trouble.

"No." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Well let me try." He said simply, his warm brown eyes refusing to let her look away.

"Um you know what I think I'm just going to drink my tea and go to bed. Honestly it doesn't hurt that bad anymore and I'm so tired, but thanks for the offer."

She made a move to walk past him, but with his closeness she was unable to get anywhere. Frustrated and unnerved she shot him a wide-eyed glare.

"Nick I'm tired."

"Jess don't be stupid. You're in pain…let me help." He stated in a matter of fact tone, his fingers still playing with the ends of her hair.

She went to protest but before she got the chance, he dropped her hair and placed his hands on the tender spot where her neck met her shoulders and upper back. He looked down at her, an unreadable expression on his face. She found it impossible to break eye contact; instead she released a slow and unsteady breath she hadn't known she'd been holding in. After a moment he began to apply light pressure, moving his hands in a gentle circular motion.

"Ohhh." She whispered closing her eyes as he softly kneaded her skin through the fabric of her shirt. She wished for a moment that she wasn't wearing her soft flannel pajamas. That instead she had a tank top on or something that would have allowed his hands to make direct contact with her skin. But as he continued to rub gentle circles into her back she sighed…this wasn't so bad.

"How about you turn around." His voice was low and surprised her, causing her eyes to snap open and meet his. And what she saw when she looked into them, almost made her mouth go dry with anticipation, excitement, and nerves.

"Why...um why do you want me to turn around?" She asked, almost scowling at the soft raspy sound of her own voice.

He shrugged; he seemed so calm. "It's an awkward position. Turn around so I can massage you better."

She hesitated for a moment, before allowing him to gently turn her so her back was to him. There was something about the position they were in. Something about him standing behind her in the dimly lit kitchen with no one around, putting his hands on her. It made her nervous and giddy all at once. The closeness of their bodies, the way the front of his just barely brushed up against the back of hers…it was so intimate. And maybe, just maybe she had thought, or fantasized, about doing certain things with him in the kitchen; up against the counter, the island, on the kitchen table, against the refrigerator, that made the position they were in all the more unnerving.

When he lifted her heavy hair and drooped it over her shoulder and began to massage her again, squeezing her shoulders and applying more pressure than he had used before, she moaned softly as her muscles both protested and welcomed the feeling.

"Does that hurt?" His voice was barely above a deep whisper but the sound caused her to jump slightly.

"Hmmm what? No…no…it's good. Like…like a good hurt." She stuttered, and then blushed furiously at her words.

_A good hurt._

That sounded slightly…provocative.

"Good." Was all he said as he continued to rub her aching muscles.

Slowly, she let her guard down. Slowly she forgot about how intimate their position was. Instead she let him massage away the damage she had done earlier that day, not allowing herself to get embarrassed when a soft moan or whimper would escape her lips when he hit a particularly tender spot. He took his time. He was slow and deliberate, and meticulous. She could tell he was responding to her reactions, and while she knew they were very close to treading in murky waters...she couldn't help but continue to encourage him with soft sighs and nervous laughs.

In the dark kitchen, with only their slightly heavy breathing and the hushed sounds that seemed to echo in the silent apartment…she had to force herself not to let her mind wander back to a different late night activity that could elicit the same sounds.

She didn't know when it happened but suddenly she realized he wasn't massaging her back anymore. Her body was almost completely pressed up against his, and she could feel his head bent down towards her, his breath tickling the back of her neck. His hands had left her shoulders and upper back, and were slowly and purposely running up the sides of her body with a feather light touch. Her eyes opened as her brain registered the change in his actions. She opened her mouth to speak, but as he snaked his hand across her waist and hooked his arm there pulling her body even closer to him all that came out was a barely audible squeak.

"Jess?"

His voice, a deep rumble; was going to do her in.

"Yes?" Her body was on fire and she was torn between wanting to turn herself around so that she could properly throw herself in his arms, and running away from him…fast.

"Does your back feel better?"

"Yes." His mouth was near her ear, if she just turned her head slightly, she would be _so_ close to him. She would only have to stretch her neck ever so slightly to press her lips firmly against his.

He was silent for a moment, before gently releasing her waist and turning her back around so that she was facing him. She had to tilt her head back in order to look up at him, as they were so close, and she could barely see his eyes. And maybe that had been better, because when she was able to fully look into them she almost lost her bearings.

Desire was definitely in those dark depths.

It was raw and it was blatant.

She was surprised she didn't throw herself in his arms then and there.

"You sure you feel better?" His hands were playing with the ends of her hair again, and she had to force herself not to let her eyes flutter close.

She nodded. "Tons better."

A lazy smile made its way across his mouth, and her heart stopped…literally stopped beating in her chest as he slowly bent his head toward hers.

He was going to kiss her.

She prepared herself for it, she anticipated it, she welcomed it.

And when his mouth stopped just short of her lips. When he paused and let that lazy smile widen into a grin, she almost screamed in frustration.

"Good." He said, and gave her hair one last light tug, before stepping back from her.

Picking up his jacket from the counter he began to walk in the direction of his bedroom.

"Sleep tight Jess."

Her mouth dropped open and it was all she could do not to pick up her coffee mug and throw it at his retreating figure. When she heard the door to his room open and then close, she let herself slowly drop down onto one of the kitchen stools. Her body was still tingly and her pulse was still racing.

She was going to get him back.

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**Love it? Hate it? Please review! Thanks! :)**


	3. Underneath It All

**Hey all. So I'm posting this installment because I'm super super nice and also because I'm going to Vegas (so excited) with some buds this Thursday and will be gone all weekend, so there won't be another update until next week! **

**On a side note, how great was it to see sparks flying between Jess and Nick again in this last episode? **

***sigh***

**P.S.- Thank you for all the great reviews. I really am trying to get back to all of you as I so appreciate your kind words! :)  
**

**Anywho...Jess' turn...  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own New Girl.**

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Nick put away the twelve pack of beer, milk, and few boxes of cereal he had bought at the store before making his way toward his bedroom. The apartment was silent. Blissfully so. He had just gotten home from a quick run to the Quickie Mart down the street, and it seemed as though all of his roommates were out and about. You could hear a pin drop in the seemingly empty loft, it was that quiet. As he savored the sound of silence he placed his hand on the doorknob to his room, thinking about catching a quick nap before he left for work in a few hours.

"Oh hey Nick."

He turned around, startled by her voice. The apartment had been so quiet he had been sure he was alone. When he saw Jess standing casually in the doorway of her room, smirking up at him while leaning against the wall, his mouth almost dropped open.

She was wearing nothing but a bright blue towel.

A very small, very short bright blue towel.

A bright blue towel that was doing a terrible job at concealing anything.

He slowly took in the sight of her poorly clad body, vaguely aware that he had seen her in a towel, a much larger towel, before. Hell he had seen her naked before. This should be no big deal. But somehow the very small part of his brain that thought this was unable to get the message to the rest of his body.

He lifted his eyes to hers. They were staring at him from under her thick cloud of bangs, glimmering with a mixture of playfulness and humor. He could only imagine the expression on his face at that moment.

"Where…where are your clothes?" He asked, not knowing what else to say.

She shrugged in an unconcerned sort of way, the action appearing delicate and nonchalant. He tried not to let his eyes wander across her porcelain skin, tried not to let them devour the sight of her. He knew what she was doing. This had to be a part of the game. The frustrating, dangerous, unspoken game they had been playing with each other for weeks. He often wondered who would put a stop to it, who would be the first to break. He hoped it was she…but he wasn't sure how much longer he could last, as she was slowly killing him with her looks, her suggestions, and her soft touches.

But he wouldn't let her gain the upper hand.

He was stronger than that.

Right?

He tried to appear bored as he waited for her answer.

"I was trying on a few outfits. And now I'm going to shower."

"You couldn't throw on some clothes before walking to the bathroom?"

Her mouth lifted into a slow smile. "Why would I put on clothes if I'm just going to take them off again in a few minutes?"

He didn't need to think about her taking off her clothes.

Instead he changed the subject. "Why were you trying on outfits? You got a hot date?"

She stared at him a moment, her blue eyes never wavering from his face. "Maybe I do."

He hadn't expected that. And he looked away from her; to hide any reaction he had to her simple statement. She hadn't dated anyone in weeks, and he felt his heart begin to pound at the thought of her with someone else. Sure she had dated before, but things had changed between them. Hadn't they just been dancing around the inevitable, lately? Or had they? Maybe he had he been making it all up in his head.

He drew his attention back to her, unnerved that she was still casually watching him with her big blue eyes.

"With who?" He practically had to ground the words out; he could feel his body tensing.

She shrugged again, straightening. "I should go shower. I don't want to be late."

The question had been avoided.

She moved into the hall, stepping closer to him.

"I've been feeling…twirly lately Nick, so this may be a longer shower than usual. I hope you don't need to get in the bathroom any time soon …" She let the sentence hang as she began to walk down the hall toward the bathroom.

She was egging him on. He knew she was. He knew what _twirly_ was her word for.

"What the hell does taking a long shower have to do with being horny?" He clenched his fists, as he forced the sentence out.

Jess glanced at him over her shoulder, flashed him a bright smile, and not answering him stepped into the bathroom.

It was only when he heard the shower turn on that he snapped his eyes away from the door she had disappeared through. His mind was racing. Did she really have a date? And why had she mentioned feeling twirly? Was she hinting that she was going to be taking care of that in the shower, something he couldn't, wouldn't let himself picture. Or was she implying that she was going to take care of it on the date? He thought about how Caroline had always seemed to take longer showers whenever she had known they were going to attempt to have a romantic evening. She had always complained that women had a lot more prep work to do with shaving and…well usually he had tuned her out after that.

He glanced back over at the bathroom. She couldn't have a date…could she?

He stood there arguing with himself, replaying the many encounters they had had over the past few weeks. The touches, the knowing smiles, the suggestive words, the smoldering looks. Had he really looked too far into them?

He wasn't sure how long he stood in the hall dissecting every action, every word that had passed between the two of them. Torturing himself with thoughts of another faceless and nameless man putting his hands on her. It must have been awhile because he heard the water turn off signaling the end of her shower. He raised his eyes toward the bathroom as Jess stepped back out into the hall.

She had thrown her dark hair up on top of her head. The steam from the shower had caused a few tendrils to curl prettily around her neck and her face. She had done a poor job in drying herself off, or hadn't bothered to all together, as her body was glistening with drops of water from head to toe. The sorry excuse for a towel she had wrapped around her was dipped dangerously low near her breasts, and her mouth curved into a knowing smile as she saw him still standing in the hallway.

"Nicholas!" She sang, her voice sounding pleased. "What are you still doing out here?"

He wanted to smile at her use of his full name, but his brain was still consumed with her intended whereabouts for the evening.

"Who do you have a date with?" He asked as she began to walk toward him, inwardly cringing at his less than subtle approach.

Her smile widened at his question. Stopping in front of him she raised her chin ever so slightly to look up at him. Reaching over to him, she tugged on his shirt playfully.

"Did I say I had a date?" She questioned, arching a brow at him.

No she hadn't come out and said it…or had she? He couldn't remember. But he had to know. He needed to hear her confirm his suspicions were wrong. "Jess…do you?"

She tilted her head to the side studying him. "Maybe."

He took a step toward her enjoying the way her eyes widened slightly and she took a step back. She wasn't as confident as she was pretending to be.

"With who?" His throat felt tight as he waited for her answer.

Her pale eyes searched his face as she considered his question. "Does it matter? I've been out with men before Nick."

He didn't need her reminding him. It had bothered him then and it nearly killed him now to think of them. "You're playing a dangerous game Jess." He said, his voice quiet.

He watched as a variety of emotions flashed into her eyes.

Curiosity, anger, desire.

"Am I?" Her voice was soft.

He took another step toward her noticing when this time she refused to step back but only raised her chin again in challenge. They were close, dangerously so. How many times had they gotten themselves into similar positions? How long were they going to keep this up?

"Do you have a date?" He asked her slowly, she still hadn't given him a clear answer.

"Would it bother you if I did?" She countered back, just as deliberately.

He considered her question. Of course it would bother him. But he wasn't sure he wanted her to know that. Should he give her that kind of upper hand? Did it really matter anymore?

He opted for her favorite answer. "Maybe."

She seemed to falter a bit at that. Silence hung heavy in the air, and he watched as she seemingly battled with herself over what her next move should be. _Turn around Jess, _he thought to himself, because he was quite sure if she didn't leave soon, he wasn't going to let her get away. And were they both ready for that next step?

Instead of turning from him, she stepped even closer, effectively closing the very small space between them. "And why would that bother you Nicholas?"

He couldn't answer just yet. She was too close. She smelled too damn good. And he could see way too much of her body, with beads of water still glistening on it, for him to form a coherent thought, let alone sentence. She took in a deep breath as he remained silent, and biting down on her lip she moved even closer to him, so her chest was just barely brushing up against his. She stared at a spot on his shirt for a moment before lifting her eyes to meet his, pinning him with her blue gaze.

"Why would it bother you?" She asked him, her voice was soft, her eyes smoky. Both uncertainty and seductiveness lingered in them. And he found it extremely arousing that while she put on airs of being confident and seductive, there was still a part of her that was unsure about herself. Unsure of him. She was nervous, regardless of her actions, she was nervous.

He wanted tell her it would bother him because he couldn't stand the thought of her being with another man. That it drove him crazy to think of it. He wanted to tell her that it bothered him because that meant she wouldn't be with him. Her date would just be another obstacle in his way. He opened his mouth to do so; not caring if that meant she won the game. Whatever game it was that they were playing. But as he lifted his hands to her arms, moving to bring her even closer, if possible, the sound of keys in the apartment door sounded throughout the quiet and empty loft.

Raising an eyebrow, Jess took a small step away from him and then another before casually leaning against the wall outside of her room just as Schmidt rounded the corner. He stopped abruptly when he saw her.

"Jess, what are you doing?" He asked, as he took in the sight of her in her small towel.

She smiled brightly at him. "I was just getting out of the shower." Her voice sounded much lighter than it had only moments before.

Schmidt looked back and forth between she and Nick. "Right. Well you do realize that you are wearing a hand towel right? And while I don't mind as I can appreciate a beautiful woman in next to nothing…Nick looks like he's about to go into cardiac arrest."

She smirked at that, letting her gaze wander over to him. He could feel his face heat at Schmidt's words but refused to acknowledge his comment. He merely raised a brow at her.

"Sorry Nick." She said meeting his eyes. "I'll go put some clothes on."

He refused to look away from her as she let her gaze linger on him. "Don't get dressed on my account."

She laughed, the husky sound never ceased to make him smile. "No I really should get ready."

"For that hot date?" He asked her neutrally, watching as that playful glint came back into her eyes.

Schmidt looked at Jess skeptically. "Hot date? Cece said you were having a girl's night."

Nick watched as her eyes twinkled with laughter at Schmidt's words and she smirked up at him with that knowing smile. He wasn't sure what he felt more of; relief that she wasn't rushing off to meet some man he had already started to hate without even knowing, or annoyance that he had fallen so easily into her trap.

"Girls night?" He asked, trying not to appreciate the way her smile made her whole face even that much more appealing.

She nodded, before turning and walking into her room. "Girl's night Nicholas."

And she closed the door.

Schmidt looked over at him and then at Jess' door before looking back at him with a curious expression on his face. "You guys need to just get it over with and do it already. Just bring it on home buddy, because even I can't take the sexual tension."

For once, Nick had to agree with him.

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**They are both catching on or rather have caught on...making it harder to keep this at just teasing...  
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**I don't think I'm all out of ideas just yet though.  
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**Please REVIEW! Thank you for reading :)**


	4. Going To The Chapel

**Ok this sucker is a doozy. I wrote the majority on the plane to Vegas. Going to Vegas made me think about Bridesmaids and The Hangover which ultimately made me think about weddings...**

**Anyway, Nick's turn.  
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**I'll probably write one more chapter after this one, just to kind of tie up the teasing game.  
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**Also someone asked about the timeline...I haven't set one. Let's just chalk it up to...these chapters are set sometime in the future as I'm not really going along with the current episodes.  
**

**Please read and review! Thanks! :)  
**

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"Are you having fun?"

Jess tore her gaze away from the newly married couple on the dance floor and glanced over at Nick, who had suddenly appeared at her side holding two drinks. One hand extended toward her offering a fun looking pink concoction with a lime stuck on the rim. She took it, smiling her thanks, before glancing back at the duo across the room on the dance floor.

"Yes. I love weddings. Even if I don't even know the bride and groom I still love them. I mean look at those two lovebirds over there. So happy and in love. It's like the rest of us don't even exist…it's just the two of them out there and that's it...everything else is just unimportant. They've got the rest of their lives ahead of them, and they are going to spend it together...as one. In perfect sync. Harmony." She sighed wistfully. "Oh man I just really really love weddings. There's just something so fun, magical, special, perfect…"

"Okay I get it…you like weddings." Nick grinned at her.

She laughed nodding. "Yeah I do…and hey thanks for inviting me. Or asking me to be your date, or whatever." For reasons she was unsure of, she could feel a blush creeping across her cheeks as she spoke. "I mean you didn't have to ask me. I wouldn't have minded being the odd man out. I know Schmidt put the idea in your head."

And it was true. Exactly one week ago, she and her roommates, along with Shelby and Cece, had been sitting around the kitchen table drinking a few beers and discussing, or rather arguing, about whether or not to stay in or go out for the night when someone had mentioned the upcoming wedding. Another friend of the guys' was getting married that coming weekend and all the boys had been invited. Obviously Schmidt and Winston had planned on bringing their significant others, while Nick didn't have a date. Schmidt then and there had decided that it would be stupid for Nick not to just take Jess as his date. All the others had enthusiastically agreed. Feeling embarrassed for Nick and herself, Jess had insisted that it wasn't necessary.

"Do you have plans next weekend?" Nick had asked her; those dark eyes had been unreadable from where she sat several seats down from him on the other side of the table.

"No." She had answered him honestly.

He had shrugged. "So come."

And that had been the end of it. Cece and Shelby had decided then and there that she would be attending and she hadn't argued. Part of her hadn't wanted to argue.

She had wanted to be Nick's date.

And now that she was at the wedding with him, she was glad that she had agreed. But with all that had been going on between them lately, with their fun and flirty little game, she wondered if she had bitten off more than she could chew.

She hadn't' expected to be so attracted to him, hadn't anticipated feeling so many swirling emotions, when she had seen him in his suit and tie. Obviously she was attracted to him, and obviously she had seen him dressed up before, but when he had stepped out into the living room earlier that day, dressed in his wedding attire, she had felt a pang in her chest. She had wished that their date were actually real. Not just another fake or convenient set-up, like the last wedding they had attended together.

And now he was being so nice to her. Flashing her warm smiles. Getting her drinks without her asking. Inquiring about her time; if she was enjoying herself. He had even pulled her chair out for her when they had sat down for dinner; his hand had brushed against the back of her neck in an absent kind of way as he had helped her into her seat. And what he was doing that night, was much more dangerous than any hot gaze or subtly phased innuendo. This Nick was way too close to what she could imagine boyfriend Nick being like.

And it was not good.

Or it was good…making it not good for her.

For her head, her heart.

"Earth to Jess."

She snapped her gaze up from the floor it had wandered to and met his smirking face.

"Sorry." She said rolling her eyes at herself in an exaggerated fashion while taking a sip of her drink. It was fruity and delicious.

He waved the apology away, and his face grew slightly more serious as he watched her fiddle with the tiny straw in her beverage.

"I was going to ask you anyway you know. I mean I had wanted to ask you for a while to come to the wedding with me. I just…" His sentence trailed off as he seemingly searched for a way to complete his thought. His eyes caught hers in their dark stare. "I was going to ask you Jess." He chuckled. "Schmidt just got around to it before I did."

She nodded, taking another sip of her drink, she tried not to look too much into his statement. It wasn't too shocking that he had been planning on asking her. He was single, she was single. She was friends with his friends. Her friends were dating his friends. It wasn't surprising at all that he had planned on asking if she had wanted to tag along.

Nothing to read into.

Not a thing.

"You look really great tonight you know."

She felt a smile light her face at his words as he once again stopped her from letting her thoughts wander aimlessly with his casually said comment. She had taken her time getting dressed that evening. After laying out every single dress she owned on her bed, she had finally decided on a bright green, short and fun dress that Cece had said made her blue eyes pop even more than usual. Her hair was pulled back, she had left it soft and wavy with only a few gentle curls framing her face.

Smiling up at him she tilted her head as he smiled back at her. "Thank you…you don't look too shabby yourself Nicholas."

He arched an eyebrow and raised his beer bottle to her acknowledging her lame attempt at complimenting him.

She bit her lip. "No really…you look very handsome. Dashing…debonair."

He laughed into his drink before taking a swig of beer. Considering her for a moment over the rim, he placed the bottle on the table next to them before reaching over and taking her drink from her and placing it next to his.

"I wasn't done with that!" She said looking longingly at her half full drink, surprised when he grabbed her hand in his.

"I'll get you another one." He said simply, before leading her through the crowd of wedding guests, her hand firmly in his grip.

As he practically dragged her behind him, she tried not to notice how nice her hand felt tucked into his, and how even that small touch made her body feel tingly in anticipation. She felt her mind begin to go soft again as she concentrated on the simple feeling of just holding his hand. But then he suddenly jerked her to the right and she practically plowed over an older couple that literally had to jump out of her way to escape a collision. She glared at Nick's back as he continued to pull her along.

"You know we just probably sent the bride and groom's grandparents to the hospital because you're dragging me like a cave man and not paying attention to anyone around you." She hissed as she shot another couple an apologetic look as she barely missed running into them.

Nick merely laughed at her and continued walking. Not paying attention to her when she tried to jerk her hand out of his grasp. When he stopped suddenly and she found her face firmly planted into his back, as she wasn't expecting him to come to such a fast halt, she sighed.

"Seriously Nick?" Her voice was muffled as she spoke into his suit coat.

He let go of her hand and turned around smirking down at her as she glared up at him

"I guess I should ask you first huh?" His voice was light and his brown eyes warm and inviting.

"Ask me what?" She looked around her confused, they had walked across the room to the edge of the dance floor.

"To dance with me."

That's when she noticed the song had changed, and more people had joined the bride and groom on the dance floor. The DJ had opened up the floor to the rest of the wedding guests...the couple's first dance was now over. She glanced up at Nick, he was watching her with those dark eyes and his smirking face, and suddenly she felt shy. She tried to remember if they had danced at the last wedding they had attended together. She was pretty sure since he had been busy most of the night getting drunk and pining after Caroline they hadn't danced at all…except for the slow motion chicken dance, but that didn't count. Biting on her lip she tried to rid herself of the sudden nervousness she was feeling. For the past few weeks she had been toying with him, and he with her. And they had found themselves in some very interesting positions; a nice slow dance to a romantic love song should be no big deal.

She took a deep breath and tried to give him a relaxed smile. "I'd love to."

He smiled back at her slowly, something flashed in his eyes, but it came and went before she had a chance to place it. He grabbed her hand again and led her out onto the dance floor, leaving her thoughts scattering for the moment. When he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her firmly to him she debated with herself briefly about whether or not this was a good idea. She was almost positive he could feel her pulse racing.

As they slowly began to move to the music she fleetingly noticed how comfortable he seemed, and how naturally he moved before she began to concentrate on her breathing….and not looking him in the eye.

She didn't want to do something stupid like pass out.

"You seem nervous Jess."

She hated the way he said her name. Or did she love the way he said it? She was pretty sure it was the latter, but she couldn't admit that now. Not with her heart pounding, and her head fuzzy.

"I'm not nervous." She laughed looking him in the eyes for a moment and knowing she could get lost in them, she quickly cast her gaze down to his shoulder.

That was much better.

His grip tightened on her and he chuckled. She could feel the low rumble in his chest at the action. It made her stomach flutter.

"Why won't you look at me then?" He asked her, his voice held a teasing note to it.

She scrunched her nose up as she let her eyes drift to the knot in his tie. "I'm looking at your tie, I like the color it's so…blue."

He laughed at that but didn't press her any further. They danced together, their bodies swaying to the gentle and sweet tune. With each beat of the music, with each lyric sung, Jess felt herself slowly begin to relax. Dancing with him, on a dimly lit dance floor, in a romantic atmosphere was no big deal. She could definitely handle this.

"Your skin is so soft."

She swallowed and it took a moment for his words to penetrate her hazy brain.

"Um thanks." She felt stupid, juvenile. Why could he so easily disarm her with his casual comments, dark eyes, and serious looks? Why was it one minute she was attempting to drive him crazy with carefully placed sexual innuendos and the next making a complete fool of herself by practically melting under his hot stare and soft words?

"I've noticed it lately…you know. How soft it is. These past few weeks, I feel like I've held you, or almost held you in my arms too many times to count. We've been in some pretty interesting positions lately haven't we Jess?" He didn't wait for her to answer but continued on. "Since then I've started noticing things about you. How soft your skin is, how no matter what time of day it is you always smell like vanilla, just a little bit. It's friggin crazy. It doesn't matter what kind of shampoo or perfume you decide to use that day…there is always just the faintest scent of vanilla that follows you everywhere you go. I don't know how the hell you manage that." He paused; she knew he was waiting for her to finally look up and meet his eyes. Her brain screamed for her to keep them firmly planted on the blue knot in his tie, but some other stronger part of her body won over and she found herself suddenly lost in the deep dark brown of his stare. "I've also noticed your eyes more. Obviously they are blue, obviously they are beautiful. But did you know, when you are turned on, when something is said or done that really gets your blood humming…they get just slightly darker. Almost smoky."

She shook her head mutely. It was all part of the game. Payback for whatever soft lingering touch or glance she had last given him. This wasn't real. Or was it? She wanted to say something but found herself unable to speak. Her blood was certainly humming now; she briefly wondered what color her eyes were at that moment.

As if reading her mind he leaned down toward her, smiling at her sudden sharp intake of breath. "They are darker now Jess…what do you think that means?"

How did he do that? How did he go from her scruffy faced, slightly awkward, sometimes odd roommate, to this confident and seductive man that drove her crazy.

It truly amazed her.

"I…I don't know what you are talking about." She stammered in a breathy voice, feeling her face heat as he raised a brow at her. She looked back down at his tie; she felt much safer looking there.

"Really?" He was silent for a moment and she hoped that he would just let them finish the dance without speaking further to each other. She knew she would just make a fool of herself if he continued to talk to her in that deep and low voice.

"I've been wondering who's going to put a stop to this game we've been playing."

Her eyes shot to his as he softly spoke of the challenging and frustrating, perhaps slightly twisted, competition they had been playing with each other. The game that neither of them had mentioned up until now.

She cleared her throat and forced a tight smile. "Game?"

His eyes had yet to waver from her face. "The one that's had us just on the verge of taking that next step for weeks now. I think we've always been there, just kind of side stepping the ledge, but lately don't you think we've been teetering on it. Who's going to jump first Jess?"

She wanted to tell him he was speaking in riddles and she had no clue what he was talking about. She wanted her face to break into a grin, she wanted a laugh to tumble from her lips, and she wanted to light heartedly tell him she hadn't the slightest clue what his cryptic words meant and that surely he was joking. But as his eyes continued to bore into hers, she knew that was impossible. So she opted for not saying or doing anything except for gently swaying to the music with him, and because she knew him so well, she knew he would just continue to speak his mind.

As he pressed her body more firmly, more intimately, to his, and his eyes grew serious, she waited for his next words.

"I think it will be me Jess. I don't know how much longer I can play…"

Her heart was pounding so hard against her chest, she wondered if it were visible to the naked eye. As she thought about his words, about how he was hinting that he no longer wanted to play their teasing and sexy game, she wondered about what that meant, what that next step would be.

A date, a kiss…something more?

"I…" She couldn't find her voice for a moment. Taking a few seconds to collect herself, she looked up at him and gave him a bright smile. "Nicholas, look at you getting all serious and intense on me...you silly guy." She wondered if perhaps she should fight fire with fire. She was afraid if she didn't do something soon she'd throw herself at him in the middle of the crowded dance floor in front of a bunch of perfectly innocent strangers.

"I'm just saying out loud what we've both been thinking." He said. His voice held mild amusement.

"Well I like our game. But maybe you're right. Maybe I've been thinking about putting a stop to it too." She whispered the words leaning into his embrace ever so slightly, and watched as his eyes flashed, and his jaw clenched. He wasn't in as much control as he wanted her to believe. "Maybe I've thought of some very interesting...exhilarating ways to put a stop to it."

She saw surprise register across his features, at the sudden change in her, but he quickly recovered and gave her a lazy smile. "Maybe you should tell me about these interesting errr exhilarating ways…or better yet show me."

She laughed at that, enjoying the way his smile widened when she did. Her gaze flitted over his shoulder for a brief moment and she found herself focusing on a woman across the room that seemed to be watching them. She tilted her head and considered her, vaguely aware that there was something familiar about the blonde that was slowly making her way toward them. As the woman continued to get closer and Jess got a better look, she felt the blood drain from her head and a soft buzzing fill her ears as her brain registered the person's identity.

Caroline.

She felt herself pull back from Nick, vaguely noting how his eyes narrowed at the action. If there was one person, aside from she and Nick, who could put a stop to their game it was the blonde that was almost on top of them now.

"Jess?" Nick questioned, his voice sounded slightly concerned.

She glanced back at him, giving him a false smile and noting that Caroline was patiently waiting on the edge of the dance floor, as if she was expecting Jess to quietly take her leave. And she had every right to do so...they both knew that once Nick noticed her, Jess would once again be nothing more than his quirky roommate.

"Ummm." She glanced back down at his tie. A comfortable place for her eyes. "Um this song is just about over, and I need a breather, I'm going to head outside for a bit."

She felt his fingers gently tilt her chin up so that her eyes were forced to meet his, the simple action causing her resolve to being to crack. How in the world was she going to make it off the dance floor without making a fool of herself and crying? And really how stupid would that be? There was nothing going on between them, just a fun game, two bored and single people had been playing with each other. It was nothing…especially when the love of his life was silently waiting for him to acknowledge her.

"Jess, what's wrong?"

She smiled tightly. "Nothing I just think someone's looking for you." She stepped back from him and allowed him to follow her gaze, noting when he recognized Caroline by the way his shoulders stiffened and his fists clenched.

He looked back at her, confusion playing across his dark features. "Jess?"

She began to back away and muttered an apology as she hit another couple. "I need that breather Nick…um tell Caroline I said hi."

Without looking back she turned and practically fled the dance floor.

When she reached the small terrace outside she quickly made her way past a group of smokers to a quiet corner that overlooked a pretty little pond. Sighing she wrapped her arms around her body and bit her lip, trying to force thoughts of Nick and Caroline from her head. She couldn't help but wonder what they were discussing, whether they were making plans on leaving together, if another slow dance was playing and they were wrapped in each other's arms...

"Jess?"

She whipped around at the sound of her voice. Her mouth dropped open as she took in the sight of Nick standing in front of her, eyes dark, face serious. He looked slightly angry.

"You wanna tell me why you bolted off the dance floor?" His tone was calm, but she could tell he was annoyed.

"Caroline…I…well…why aren't you with Caroline?" She questioned, stepping back a bit as he took a step toward her.

"Do you want me to be with Caroline?" He countered, taking another step and then another so that he was directly in front of her.

She shook her head, it felt fuzzy and it had nothing to do with the few drinks he had given her earlier that evening. She was absolutely shocked that he had left Caroline to come find her.

"Well it's Caroline and…"

"And it's over…it has been for a while now. I'm done with that. I knew she would probably be here tonight. We had the same circle of friends in college...and it didn't bother me at all knowing that. And seeing her tonight just confirmed what I've been thinking for the last weeks...months...I'm done with Caroline...for good. Besides, I kind of like someone else right now..." He let the sentence hang as he closed the space between them and reached out and grabbed her hand, slowly and gently bringing her even closer to him. When her body brushed against his, she shuddered as his arm encircled her waist. She was feeling a broad range of emotions; confusion and desire both battling each other for the top tier.

"But, but, I thought…" Her voice barely a whisper, trailed off as he tilted her chin to look up at him, his mouth was just inches from hers.

"You thought what?" He asked, his eyes were absolutely intoxicating, and they were staring at her with such intensity she was surprised she could stand it.

"I don't remember what I was going to say." She said honestly, aware of how lame she sounded.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk anymore then..." His words were soft and laced with so many suggestions she felt as if she could swoon, and she knew that Nick would most definitely make fun of her if he knew that her inner thoughts contained the word _swoon_ in them. The thought made her smile softly, but that smile quickly fled her face as she noticed that he was leaning toward her slowly.

He was going to kiss her. He was definitely going to kiss her. And as she closed her eyes the only thought that crossed her mind was…finally.

Good God...finally.

"Hey guys this wedding is lame, the bar just became a cash bar and the drinks are ridiculously overpriced so we are going to hit up the bar scene…son of a bitch! I'm sorry! My bad! So so sooo my bad!"

As Nick pulled away from her he flashed her an apologetic smile, before turning around and facing a truly remorseful looking Schmidt.

"My timing is just jacked up with you two. Seriously." He looked over Nick's shoulder at Jess. And his apologetic look turned quite smug. "But if I may…I have to say I called this from the get go. I told Winston within weeks of _that one_ moving in, that Nick would be a goner. And it looks like old Schmidt really knows how to call em huh?"

Jess felt as if her whole face was on fire as she closed her eyes and tried to tune Schmidt out.

"Schmidt." She could hear the irritation in Nick's voice as he addressed their roommate.

"Yeah man? You need me to cover for you with the rest of the gang? My lips are sealed. It's the least I can do for Jess, I mean I was sleeping with Cece every night for weeks before telling her. I can keep this a secret for awhile. But hey this won't mess up the roommate dynamic will it? Because you know how I need things to run smoothly around the loft..." Pausing he waved his comment away. "You know what...we'll talk about that later."

"Schmidt…nothing has happened." Nick's voice sounded slightly less irritated and a bit more amused as he spoke to his friend.

Opening her eyes, Jess watched as Schmidt shot them a slow appreciative smile. "Right right, nothing has happened." He gave them both an exaggerated wink. "It's cool, you can count on Schmidty to keep it on the down low." Turning he began to walk away before calling over his shoulder to them. "We'll be at the bar down the street if you are interested, if not you can count on this guy to cover for you."

As he disappeared through the door, Jess, watched Nick slowly turn back to her, his face was now hidden in the shadows of the dark night, but he appeared to be smiling.

"Um…do you want to meet up with them?" She asked him slowly, not sure what else to say. She was embarrassed by Schmidt's untimely interruption, but her body was still humming and tingly from their almost kiss.

Nick nodded, taking a moment before speaking to her. "Sure…but just one thing real quick."

She looked up at him expectantly, feeling her eyes widen as he leaned in toward her.

Was he going to try to kiss her again?

"Next time we are in that position, next time I'm that close to kissing you, it's not going to be because of some game we are playing...and I'm going to make damn sure that there is absolutely no way anyone will interrupt us, because I'm not confident I can stop with just one quick kiss." He gave her a smile. Not the lazy easy going smile that made her want to smile back at him. But a dark and intoxicating smile, the kind that made her knees weak and her heart skip a beat.

And without waiting for a response from her, he picked up her hand and led her back to the wedding reception.

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**I know I'm a jerk for always ending it like that. But from the get go I said they'd be teasing each other!  
**

**Anywho, I'll be updating this baby one more time. Hmmmm wonder what's going to happen in the last chapter?**

**Please take the time to review...thank you so much for reading! :)**


	5. Sugar, sugar

**Hey all! Thanks again, for your wonderful reviews, PMs, the story alerts, and all that other good stuff. I appreciate it so much. Sorry for the slight wait for this last chapter...but it's pretty long so there's that going for it. Kinda sad to wrap it up...but it was fun to write it, and I must say I'm quite amused with how much it got away from me. A single one shot that was supposed to turn into a series of little one-shots, became much more of a regular multi-chapter story than I had originally intended. Ahh well.**

**Anyway, please read and review. Thanks so much! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own New Girl.**

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Nick juggled a bag of groceries in his arm as he opened the door to the loft. He had been at the store picking up a few supplies for a romantic evening he was planning for later that night. He wanted to surprise Jess, by doing something nice, something special. Smiling at the thought of her, he wondered how easy it would be to get her out of the apartment for a while so he could make a quick dinner, light some candles, and set up a romantic atmosphere. He wasn't good at this stuff, but he wanted to try…for her. He considered calling Cece and asking her to lure Jess out for a bit. He had already asked Winston and Schmidt to stay clear of the apartment that evening, so his planned night was definitely no secret. Considering the different ways to convince Jess to leave for a while he stepped inside of the doorway and was greeted by the sounds of female cursing.

Jess.

She was yelling at something. He couldn't make out what exactly she was yelling at, but she sounded angry, adorably so.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

He paused in the entryway, waiting to see if she would shout anything else. When he just heard muffled mutterings, he slowly began to walk further into the apartment, still wondering what her anger was directed at. As he rounded the corner towards the kitchen, the sight of her greeted him, and like always, he couldn't stop his pulse from picking up in pace and his heart from pounding just a little bit harder when he saw her. She was dressed in jeans and a striped t-shirt, an apron with splotches of flour on it covered her outfit, her glasses slightly crooked had slid down to the tip of her nose, and her dark hair was messy and piled on top of her head. She was furiously mixing something together in a large bowl and was surrounded by dozens and dozens of cupcakes. Some decorated, some not, some lovingly arranged on different trays and plates and some haphazardly tossed aside.

Placing the grocery bag on the ground near his feet he straightened, and cocked his head to the side, considering the sight that lay before him.

"Stupid stupid…man, with his stupid dark eyes and stupid scruffy face and stupid flannel shirts, and…and other stupid stuff…"

He had to assume she was talking about him.

"You okay Jess?" He interrupted her, grinning when she jumped at the sound of his voice.

She glanced up at him, stopping her mixing; surprise, confusion, and then anger quickly crossed her delicate features. Snorting in a somewhat unattractive way, she gave him a once over before pushing her glasses back up on her nose.

"Just peachy." She muttered and began concentrating on her mixing once again.

He raised an eyebrow at her curt response and watched as she continued to mix ingredients together in the bowl. He stood there for a moment or two, watching as she purposely ignored him and began pouring batter into her lined cupcake pans. When some of it splashed over, she swore under breath, making him chuckle softly at her use of a word she rarely if ever used.

She glared at him. "Go ahead and laugh you big jerk."

He cleared his throat and tried to swallow another laugh that was threatening to spill out of his mouth. What could she be so angry about? And did she know how cute she looked when trying her hardest to appear mad?

"Did I do something?" He questioned, smirking as her light blue eyes narrowed into tiny slits and her mouth pursed into a tight frown at his words.

She stared at him, studying him, making him feel slightly uncomfortable before shaking her head and flashing a fake sickly sweet smile. "Oh you? You? No…no of course not. You did nothing…not a thing. Not a darn thing."

He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning at her.

She looked pointedly at him. "That was sarcasm Nick."

He nodded, amused. "I'm aware of that Jess."

She looked back down at the mess in front of her, huffing out a breath. "Oh…well good."

After a brief moment of silence, where she continued to study the mess and he continued to study her, he took a step in her direction. Her head shot up and she waved her spoon at him; tiny drops of batter flew around her with the action. "Oh no…you stay there. You…Nicholas Miller stay away from me!"

He paused mid stride at her words. "Excuse me?"

She nodded her head. "You heard me. Don't come near me."

He couldn't help the surprised laugh that escaped his lips. "Well why the hell not?"

She glared at him and he wondered if she knew that she had cupcake batter in her bangs. As she continued to glower at him, obviously trying her hardest to appear intimidating, he assumed that she most definitely did not know she was currently sporting her cake mixture.

"Oh sure… act innocent. You don't fool me…jerk."

He smirked at her. "Jessica Day…you're acting like a crazy woman."

She flashed him a furious look before grabbing her cake pan and marching it over to the oven, throwing open the door she shoved the pan inside and slammed it shut, before turning back to him with her hands on her hips. He couldn't help but think about what a pretty picture she made with her hair messed up, batter and flour on her face and apron, her pale eyes flashing with anger, and her mouth turned down into a pout.

"Don't play dumb with me Nick." Her words were clipped, her tone slightly icy.

Jessica Day, was a laundry list of things. Beautiful, quirky, intelligent, and kind, all grabbing top spots on that list. Confusing as hell not far behind.

"Jess I honestly don't have any idea what you are mad about." He moved slowly into the kitchen, noticing when she picked up her mixing spoon, he wondered if she planned on using it as a weapon against him.

"Oh sure you don't." She scoffed eying him warily.

He shrugged, trying to rack his brain for whatever he could have done to make her so obviously annoyed. "Listen…you've got to help me out."

She tilted her head and motioned around her. "Nick I've baked almost six dozen cupcakes this afternoon."

He glanced around at the numerous desserts. "Um...that's great."

She scowled at him. "No. No Nick, it's not great. It's terrible, it's pathetic. And it's all of your fault!"

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Yes, Jessica Day could definitely be confusing as hell. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You Nicholas Miller…" She began.

He sighed at her tone and received a withering glare from her.

Making a face at him, she continued. "You Nicholas Miller...are a tease."

He stared at her for a moment; he could feel his mouth open in shock at her words as he took some time to figure out a response to what she had said. A tease? It was almost laughable really. A tease! This coming from the woman who had spent the last few weeks making his life hell…a sweet hell…but hell nonetheless. This coming from the woman, who merely liked to smile seductively as she drove him crazy with her touches, her suggestions, and her wide blue eyed gaze.

She had to be joking.

"You're joking right?" He asked her, he could hear the disbelief in his voice.

She raised an eyebrow at him, shaking her head slowly. "No…no I'm actually quite serious."

"Okay well then you're crazy."

She scowled at that, not appreciating his words, before zeroing in her expressive eyes on him. They were obviously angry, and maybe just slightly amused.

"Need I remind you of what you said to me exactly one week ago today?"

He shrugged motioning for her to continue. He was absolutely at a loss for what he had done to upset her, and was genuinely curious to hear what she had to say.

"Oh please, please do Jess…I would love to hear this."

Crossing her arms, she didn't seem to notice when the mixing spoon she still had in her hand smeared more batter across her chest.

But he did.

_Focus. _

He snapped his eyes back to hers, noticing the challenging smirk she had on her face, before it quickly disappeared and was replaced with a much more stern expression.

Clearing her throat she spoke to him in a deep and scratchy voice, one that he had to assume was supposed to imitate his own. "_Next time I'm that close to kissing you, it's not going to be because of some game we are playing, and I'm going to make damn sure that there is absolutely no way anyone will interrupt us, because I'm not confident I can stop with just one quick kiss_…sound familiar Nicholas?"

He could barely keep the slow smile from spreading across his face as she repeated the words he had spoken to her, just last week at the wedding they had attended together. Since then they had barely had a minute alone together. And when they had, he'd noticed her behavior had changed slightly.

Lately whenever they had been around each other, she had been edgy, almost anxious. She had flashed him a number of curious glances…but the seductive smiles and lingering touches had been few and far between.

Realization slowly dawned on him.

She had been nervous.

She had been waiting.

"So is this about me not kissing you? Or implying that I would try to kiss you again? Or...maybe for telling you I wouldn't be able to stop with just one quick kiss?" He tried to sound casual but his heart was pounding.

She opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. "Yes…well…all of the above. You are driving me crazy." Before he had the chance to feel smug, she continued on. "This game we have going on…or had going on…or whatever… is killing me. And I know I kind of, sort of, started it, but you can't say something like that to a girl and not follow through. This entire week I've been waiting for you to make your darn move, but you haven't done a single thing. Nothing! And I've gone from being anxious and expectant to…to…twirly and frustrated! Which is why I'm stuck here on a Saturday afternoon baking cupcakes!"

He considered what she had said, or he tried to at least, but his mind, his stupid one tracked mind could only focus on the fact that she had said she was twirly. And while he thought it was a ridiculous word, he couldn't help but appreciate its meaning. He took a slow step toward her; she merely raised a brow at the action.

"So you're feeling twirly huh?"

He could tell she was trying not to smile as she rolled her eyes at him. "You would focus on that." Then a slow slightly evil smile spread across her face, and tiny alarm bells sounded in his brain at the action. He was in trouble. "Yes Nick, I've felt extremely twirly since last Saturday. And since you haven't done anything about it, I've had to do a number of things to curb the feeling. Baking has been just one of the ways I've helped to control my…twirliness. I've actually had to come up with some other very interesting…more satisfying ways…to ahhh relieve that feeling." Her voice had become slightly husky, and those blue eyes had darkened to that smoky color he was all too familiar with.

He swallowed. Turning over her suggestion filled words in his head. How had the tables so easily been turned? How did she always manage to do that? She could go from being so innocent and unassuming; to a seductive temptress hiding behind glasses and covered in flour, within seconds.

He cleared his throat, tried to regain some composure. "Ahh…um well…hmmm."

So much for regaining composure.

She smirked at him, and stepped up to the kitchen island, dipping her mixing spoon into the batter filled bowl in front of her, she began to twirl it around. "I'm surprised you haven't heard me…"

Heard her?

"What…what do you mean?" He said, his voice sounded gruff as he watched her twirling her spoon.

Her head was cast down watching the spoon, but he could tell she was smiling.

"Some of the things I've done to help get rid of my twirliness…well let's just say I've had a tough time doing them…quietly. It's hard to be quiet when something feels good...you know?."

She was good…she was evil…but she was very good at this game, and standing there, trying his hardest not to let his body react to her words, he realized that they were indeed still playing it…that it wasn't over just yet.

"What are you talking about?" He choked out, wincing at his gravelly voice.

She raised her head. Her cheeks were flushed with a blush, but her eyes were challenging. "What do you think I'm talking about?" She dipped a finger in the batter and watching him, popped it in her mouth, savoring the taste.

He couldn't breathe for a moment. He knew what she was implying. He knew what she was trying to get him to think of. And she was doing a damn good job, because now all he could picture was Jess….self completing…as she liked to put it. That had to be what she was hinting at, what she wanted him to think of, to imagine. Watching her swirl her finger around in her mouth, he vaguely remembered what had gotten them here in the first place. A lollipop and Jess, swirling that damn candy around in her mouth. He couldn't take this game anymore. God help him he needed to end it, he needed to do something about it. Shaking his head he stepped up to the kitchen island, standing opposite of her, he placed his hands on the surface and leaned over, his face inches from hers.

"Well maybe we should do something about that then…your twirliness…something together."

Her eyes flashed with a variety of emotions and the blush on her cheeks deepened ever so slightly, but aside from that she kept her composure. She shrugged one shoulder in an unconcerned kind of way. "I don't know…I think I'm feeling just fine now…after all this baking and…other stuff I've been doing…I think I'm good."

She was killing him. "Jess…"

She drew her attention back to her mixing spoon and began slowly stirring the batter again, watching as she made swirling patterns in the mixture. "Hmmm?"

It was time to wipe that wicked smirk off her face. Smiling at her he tried his hardest to sound calm, relaxed. "I'm going to kiss you."

Her head shot up, her eyes widened considerably. "What?"

He grinned; he liked knowing she wasn't as confident as she pretended to be. He took comfort in the fact that he wasn't the only one that could be thrown for a loop. Leaning closer to her over the counter, he smirked when she backed up.

"You heard me."

She didn't say anything, just watched as he leisurely made his way over to the other side of the island; her eyes following his every move. He noticed how her grip had tightened on the spoon she held and again he briefly wondered if she planned to use it against him.

"I'm going to kiss you." He said again.

She nodded slowly, her mouth lifted into a slight smirk. "So you said."

He took a step towards her, and then another, until they were only about a foot apart. "No one is here to interrupt us."

She looked around them, taking in the empty apartment before letting her eyes rest on his. "Yet." She said, her tone was slightly defiant.

He smiled, did she know with each second that ticked by it became increasingly harder for him not to just pull her to him and kiss her senseless. "I'm pretty sure we won't be interrupted." He said, his voice full of confidence.

When she didn't reply, he decided the time for talking was over and took another step towards her to close the distance between them. As he did she raised her hand quickly, he wasn't sure if it was to stop him from coming closer or just a simple unconscious reaction. Regardless, the hand she happened to raise was the same hand that held her dripping mixing spoon. The quick movement she made caused the batter clinging to the utensil to fling out in front of her.

And it landed right on his face.

"Oh." She said softly, watching as batter trailed its way down his cheek.

He stood there a moment with cake batter clinging to him, his eyes on her; she was fighting hard not to laugh at him and her lips were quivering with the effort. As the cool batter dripped from his face to the floor, he glared at her as she fought to keep her expression controlled. Still watching her, he wiped the rest of the mixture from his face and flung it to the ground.

She bit her lip. "Nick I'm…" Her voice trailed off and she backed up as he slowly walked towards her. "Okay don't look at me like that, it was an accident."

He knew that, but he was enjoying the way her eyes were growing wider, and her cheeks were becoming even more flushed. Stalking her, he smiled as she quickly ran to the other side of the counter putting the island in between them once more. She raised her spoon defensively.

"That was an accident, but come one step closer and I swear I'll use it again…on purpose." She dipped the spoon into the mixing bowl that sat on the counter separating them.

Tilting his head to the side, he glanced around him and his eyes landed on a rubber spatula that sat next to the bowl between them. Her eyes followed his as he considered it for moment. He looked up from the bowl the same time she did and their gazes clashed. He could see realization cross her face quickly before they both reached for the utensil at the same time. He beat her to it smiling triumphantly at her frustrated sigh and dipped his own weapon into the batter, grinning when she jumped back from the counter, her eyes on his spatula.

"Okay…okay…let's be adults here. Weren't we talking about something else before this whole silly mess started?" She asked, giving him a bright smile. "Something much _much_ more interesting?" Her voice held that suggestive tone to it, but he wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of distracting him.

He nodded. "We were." And he began moving around the island, causing her to gradually move as well. They circled the island twice, each firmly holding their bakery weapons, eyes locked on each other suspiciously, before she laughed a nervous laugh.

"Nick come on…this is stupid. I'll put mine down if you put yours down."

He stopped, pretended to consider her offer and nodded. "Sure, you're right this is stupid."

Relief crossed her pretty features. "Okay then. On the count of three."

He shrugged. "Your count."

She looked unconvinced, and he couldn't blame her, as he had no intention of dropping his weapon.

"Um…okay…one…two…"

She barely made it to three before he shot around the island causing her to squeal and back up into the kitchen counter, she raised her spoon to fend him off but he was already on top of her and easily grabbed it from her hand and dropped it to the floor. She placed both hands up in surrender, but he just laughed, noticing her eying his spatula dripping with cake batter. Running a finger across it, he watched as she lowered her hands to her side and arched a brow.

"Seriously? You're seriously planning on smearing that on my face."

He nodded. "Yeah."

The scowl she gave him, caused him to laugh even more.

"That's so immature Nick."

He shrugged he was having too much fun to care if he was acting juvenile or not, and by the light playful look in her eyes, he knew she was too. "Any last words Jessica Day?"

She stared at him hard, before surprising him by flashing him a wide grin. "Just one."

This should be interesting.

"What would that be?"

"Sucker!"

Before he could respond, she reached behind her quickly. He moved toward her to stop her from grabbing whatever it was she was going for, but before he had a chance to get her, she threw a handful of flour in his face. It wasn't a lot, and he was able to react immediately grabbing her and pulling her to him. There bodies collided, and she shrieked, and struggled in his grip as he wrapped an arm around her waist holding her firmly to him and trapping her hands against his chest. When he smeared batter across her cheek she laughed and called him a jerk and he laughed back at her before reaching behind her and grabbing a small handful of flour. Holding her struggling body against him, he watched as she went still realizing he had flour in his other hand. Face smeared with cake, she gave him what he assumed was supposed to be a flirty smile.

"Nick…we're even."

Shaking his head and watching as specks of flour flew around the small space between them, he raised a brow. "Not yet…"

"Don't you dare." She narrowed her eyes, and pushed against him.

He was having difficulty continuing this little game, as her body seemed to be perfectly molded to his, but he couldn't give her the upper hand. Smirking down at her he watched, as her eyes grew wide.

"Sorry Jess."

"Nick I swear to…" Her sentence broke off on a gasp as he turned his hand holding the flour over and let it go on top of her head.

Her gasp turned into a huff as she put all of her weight against his body and pushed at him. She caught him off guard as he wasn't expecting that, and lost his footing, causing him to stumble backwards. The weight of her leaning into him didn't help with his balance and he found himself falling to the kitchen floor; she came tumbling along with him.

As they landed he let out whoosh of air, and for a brief moment he felt as though he couldn't breathe. All of her weight had landed on his chest, and she quickly scrambled off of him and kneeled next to his body, peering down at him, her expression filled with concern, she bit her lip.

"Did I hurt you? Are you okay?"

Now that he had a few seconds to recover, and he could breathe perfectly normal again, he was fine. The wind had been knocked out of him briefly, but other than that he felt just fine. He lay on his back and stared up at her. Her hair covered in flour, face smeared with cake batter, glasses slightly skewed, he realized that while she looked ridiculous, he had never seen anything prettier than she at that moment. She made him happy, he enjoyed being around her, and these last few weeks, spending time with her, even if they had just been toying with each other…he couldn't remember ever feeling so content.

"Say something." She said, worry clear in her voice.

"I think you're beautiful. " He was almost as shocked as she when the words flew out of his mouth.

She sat back on her heels, her mouth had dropped open in shock, and a blush slowly crawled up her neck to her cheeks. "Oh well…" Clearly at a loss for words she stared at him.

He sat up; their legs brushed with the action, and he faced her.

She shifted her position, sitting down next to him; she continued to stare at him. Her blue eyes searched his face intently. "Why didn't you kiss me?" She blurted out unexpectedly.

He laughed at her outburst. "Because you threw cake batter at me."

She smiled and pushed him lightly. "No. Before that. After the wedding. Why…why didn't you kiss me?" She looked down at her hands; her voice had taken on an unsure, shy tone.

He felt a tender smile pull at his lips, as he watched her fiddle with her hands nervously. "I wanted to."

She glanced up at him, with eyes wide and uncertain. "So why didn't you?" Her voice was soft.

He reached over and tucked a stray lock of hair, powdered white, behind her ear, letting his fingers linger near her cheek. She smiled tentatively at the action.

"I don't know. Maybe it was stupid...but I wanted it to be special." He suddenly felt embarrassed, but he believed he owed her an explanation. "I wanted you to know it wasn't about the game, it wasn't about anyone having the upper hand. I wanted you to know it was because I like you…really like you." That sounded stupid, but her smile grew so he continued on. "I had planned an evening...for just the two of us… tonight I was going to make you dinner, and let you know I was willing to give up the game if you were…hell even if you weren't. When I kissed you I wanted you to know it was because I have feelings for you…I wanted you to know it was because I want to take the next step towards something bigger. God that sounds really lame doesn't it?"

She didn't say anything, just stared at him for a moment. He felt himself becoming increasingly anxious under her blue gaze, like he had said too much, and just when he was about to tell her to say something...anything, she quickly closed the space between them, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

As her soft lips met his, he dimly thought…_impulsive_…he would have to add that to the laundry list of things that was Jessica Day. And then he pushed the thought aside and let himself enjoy the soft feel of her lips on his and concentrated on returning the kiss.

On the kitchen floor, both covered in flour and cake batter surrounded by kitchen utensils and baking supplies, they shared their first kiss…and it was perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

He deepened the kiss, as he gently sought entrance to her mouth and he couldn't help but thank God that this wonderful amazing woman was in his life. Their tongues danced together slowly, tenderly. Days, weeks, months, of pent up sexual frustration was poured into that kiss. But it was still gentle, with passion and fire simmering just beneath the surface. Not breaking contact with her, he leaned into her, placing one hand behind her head, and the other around her waist he slowly laid her down on the kitchen floor. She sighed softly with the action, tightening her hold around his neck. They explored each other slowly, savoring each other's mouths, enjoying the kiss. She was somewhat shy and a bit hesitant, but as he gently ran a hand down her body, she arched her hips towards him...silently begging him for more.

This could get intense fairly quickly.

He lifted his head and gazed down at her. Her eyes fluttered open to meet his and she smiled up at him, her breathing slightly heavy.

He didn't know what to say to her, he was at a loss for words.

She however was not.

"You, Nicholas Miller are a pretty amazing kisser." She raised her eyebrows playfully.

It amazed him how one moment she could be unsure and shy, and the next sighing softly beneath him, and then the next charming him with her teasing words. He played with her hair and smiled back, feeling his face heat. "You're not too bad yourself Jessica Day."

Her smile grew into a wide grin as she held his gaze, and they lay there for a few moments, smiling stupidly at each other before she finally broke the silence.

"So you were going to cook me dinner huh?" She questioned, her hands were in the hair at the nape of his neck, gently massaging him there.

He nodded, amused by her. "That was the plan."

Her smile, if possible, grew even more. "Because you like me."

He shrugged. "Maybe just a little."

She laughed at that. "I kind of like you too."

He knew she did. Obviously he did, but he felt his stomach tighten at her words, and his face broke out into what he was sure was a goofy grin.

She looked around them at the mess they had made. "We should probably clean up before we destroy the kitchen again with dinner."

He laughed, taking in the cake batter and flour that was flung everywhere. "That might be a good idea."

She raised an eyebrow and her arms tightened around his neck, pulling him just a bit closer. "We should probably clean ourselves up too."

He nodded, those eyes were smoky and that voice was husky. "We should."

She raised her head slightly; her lips were just a breath away from his. "A shower is probably a good idea for both of us."

His head felt slightly hazy at her words and it took him a moment to speak, he wanted to make sure his voice didn't come out as a squeak, because while the game was officially over, he had to at least keep some of his manly pride in tact. "That sounds like a fantastic idea."

She laughed, that slightly husky laugh that drove him absolutely crazy, and then she was kissing him again, and he was kissing her back, and her laugh quickly died down to moans and sighs, and soon he forgot about manly pride and instead focused on the feel of her warm body laying beneath him. And while he had wanted everything between them to be special and planned, their first date, their first kiss, their first time together, he knew that when it came to Jessica Day, things often didn't go as planned.

It took them quite awhile before they made it to the shower…and everything that evening certainly didn't go exactly according to plan.

But he was definitely okay with that.

The end.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading! :)**

**Please review! :)**

**P.S.- Sorry I didn't go the "M" route for those that had asked me to consider it. I figured since I started it as a 'T' I should keep it as such :)**


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